Social media !
is an umbrella term
for digital tools that
let you share
information and
network with others.

"Social media are online communications in
which individuals shift fluidly and flexibly
between the role of audience and author.”
—Joseph Thornley!
CEO, Thornley Fallis

• Blogging
• Chat Rooms
• Twitter
• Forums
• Social networks
• Podcasts
• Video sharing
• Virtual worlds
• Photo sharing
• Wikis
• Bookmarking
• Mobile apps

What are people doing?
1. Watching and sharing videos (83%)
2. Visiting social networks (71%)
3. Reading blogs (71%)
4. Commenting on blogs (56%)
5. Sharing photos (55%)
Source: Universal McCann Wave 4 (June 2009)

Going mainstream
After several years of explosive growth,
social media began to normalize in 2008,
becoming a standard part of daily life.

Going mainstream
Source: Universal McCann Wave 4 (June 2009)

Of the top 15 most-visited sites in America,
8 are socially driven, "
and all 15 use prominent social elements.

Most-visited U.S. sites
1. Google
9. MSN
2. Yahoo
10. eBay
3. Facebook
11. Blogger
4. YouTube
12. AOL
5. Myspace
13. Amazon
6. Windows Live
14. Twitter
7. Wikipedia
15. Go.com (Disney)
8. Craigslist
Source: Alexa.com/topsites/countries/US, Aug. 28, 2009

So why is social media !
such a big deal?

Social media ended centuries of
separation between
mass media!
and the masses.

It also removed barriers that stood
between businesses and their
potential customers.

Here’s how it all happened.

Birth of the Blog

Where did blogs !
come from?
1967 — Internet is born
1979 — First discussion boards
1992 — First Web site

Isn’t it beautiful?

Where did blogs !
come from?
1994 — First online diaries
1997 — Term "WebLog" is coined
1998 — Open Diary becomes the first
WebLog tool
1999 — "Weblog" becomes "blog"

Fun fact: “Blog” was popularized
by Evan Williams, who went on to
found Twitter.com.

The evolution of blogging
1999 — LiveJournal
1999 — Blogger
2001 — Movable Type
2003 — TypePad
2003 —WordPress
2006 — Twitter
2007 — Tumblr

Why blogs were a big deal
• Blogs changed the way people saw
the Web
• You could create, react, communicate
without any programming skills
• For the first time ever, anyone could
make content for a global audience

Today, blogs are one of the top
sources of information for
everything from product reviews to
travel advice.

America’s active Internet users:
33% write blogs
(that’s 32 million people)
66% read blogs
(64 million people)
Source: Universal McCann Wave 4 (June 2009)

How are marketers
reaching out to bloggers?
• Offering free products for review
• Hosting giveaways for readers
• Providing exclusive content
• Sponsoring posts
• Buying ads directly
• Treating them like journalists

Meanwhile, corporate blogging
has become an easy way to:
• Share your side of the story
• Launch new products
• Improve your search ranking

As blogging has become
mainstream, so has another major
component of social media:

Social networks
Image source: Luc Legay on Flickr

Social networks !
are sites that connect people with
shared interests and backgrounds.
In America, the dominant players are
Facebook and MySpace.

In the past year, Facebook finally
surpassed MySpace as the U.S.’s
No. 1 most visited social network.
Source: Compete.com, August 2009

However, MySpace remains a popular
and powerful site for entertainers and
young people.
(34% of MySpace users are under 17,
versus 17% of Facebook.)

By the numbers: !
MySpace
• Founded in 2003
• 60 million visitors a month
• 64% female
• Laid off 33% of workforce "
in June 2009"
Sources: Compete.com; “2009 Social Network Analysis Report,”
IgniteSocialMedia.com; Wikipedia.com

MySpace benefits for
marketers:
• More flexibility for advertising
• Excellent integration of music
• Highest density of online youth
• One of the Web’s top video sites"

By the numbers: Facebook
• Founded in 2004 as “The Facebook”
• 122 million visitors a month
• 57% female
• Fastest-growing demo is over 55,
which expanded 25% in July alone
Sources: Compete.com; “2009 Social Network Analysis Report,”
IgniteSocialMedia.com; Wikipedia.com

Facebook benefits for
marketers:
• Cleaner, easier interface
• Ultra-targeted and affordable ads
• Fan pages with analytics
• Consistent growth"

Options for a Facebook
presence:
• User profile: For individuals
• Fan pages: For brands, celebs, etc.
• Groups: For shared interests
• Causes: For nonprofits"

Originally, social networks were for
maintaining or rekindling
friendships.
Today, they’ve become the hubs of
online life, bringing together video,
photos, apps and more.

21 million people watch videos on
Facebook each month.
On MySpace, it’s 52 million.

“Who watches TV !
on TV anymore?”!
— Eric, Gossip Girl

Video sharing

In 2008, video sharing and viewing
surpassed blog reading as the "
No. 1 social activity on the Web.

Today, 158 million unique viewers
watch video online each month in
the U.S.
74% of that activity is on YouTube.
Sources: ComScore, August 2009

By the numbers: YouTube
• Founded in 2005
• Bought by Google in late 2006
• 10 hours of video uploaded per minute
• 9 billion videos are viewed each month
in the U.S.
Sources: YouTube.com; ComScore, August 2009

YouTube revolutionized how video
was used on the Web.
Clips can now be uploaded,
embedded and viewed almost
anywhere, even in HD.

Cool things you can do
o Share videos and playlists by
embedding in a blog or site
o Add closed captioning, which
can be instantly translated
o Link to a specific time in a
long clip

Video annotations
o Place labels and links inside
your YouTube videos
o Drive traffic to your channel
o Choose your own adventure

Old look for channels:

New look for channels:

Why has video !
become so popular?

1. High-speed Internet
63% of all Americans now have "
high-speed access at home.
No slowdown in recession
90% expected by 2012
Sources: Pew Internet & American Life Project, July 2008;!
In-Stat, August 2008.

2. High-speed wireless
AT&T’s newest 3G network can
reach 7 Mbps, which is faster
than the DSL Elite broadband
4G networks are already rolling
out in select cities
Source: Engadget.com, May 2008.

3. Word of mouth
NBC saw online viewers jump
312% in October ’08.
Why?
Source: Nielsen, November 2008.

Sites like NBC’s Hulu.com and Will
Ferrell’s “Funny or Die” have used
word of mouth to make online
video a mainstream activity.

Sites like NBC’s Hulu.com and Will
Ferrell’s “Funny or Die” have used
word of mouth to make online
video a mainstream activity.

Another site that’s just now going
mainstream?

Twitter

Twitter is a social network"
where you post short bursts "
of thoughts and information.

It has become the single most talked
about Web site since Facebook "
and grew 1,551% between "
June 2008 and June 2009."
Source: Compete.com data for June 2009.

But in July 2009, Twitter’s pageviews
dropped for the first time in a year,
showing the site is leveling out.

Today, 54% of Fortune 100 companies !
are on Twitter.
They’re using it for:
1. News updates (94%)
2. Customer service (67%)
3. Marketing and promotions (57%)
4. Employee recruitment (11%)"
Source: “Twitter is top social media platform at Fortune 100 companies,” Mashable, Aug. 3, 2009

So why is Twitter such a big deal?

Twitter revolutionized social media by
making it simple for the world to
communicate in real time.
Think of it as a cross between "
text messaging, instant messaging
and blogging.

Where did Twitter "
come from?

Founded in 2006 by three men:
• Biz Stone & Evan Williams,
creators of Blogger.com
• Jack Dorsey, software architect

Although it was first, Twitter at one
point had more than 100 competitors.
It has since crushed them.

As of July 2009:
Twitter.com: 23.2 million unique visitors
Plurk.com: 239,460
Identi.ca: 96,647
Jaiku.com: 36,274
Sources: Compete.com, August 2009

Twitter is quite popular with:
• Bloggers
• Moms
• PR practitioners
• Consultants
• Pyramid schemers
• Corporations
• Celebrities

Celebs on Twitter:
Ashton Kutcher: 3.3 million followers
Ellen Degeneres: 3 million
Britney Spears: 3 million
Oprah Winfrey: 2 million
Ryan Seacrest: 2 million
Barack Obama: 2 million
(As of August 29, 2009)

Twitter helps businesses:
o Raise awareness
o Offer proactive customer service
o Answer questions
o Promote events, products, services

Businesses should:
o Be conversational
o Jump in the discussion
o Pay attention
o Pace themselves
o Have a clear, concise strategy

Businesses should NOT:
o Be sales-oriented robots
o Be repetitive and dull
o Follow too many people at once

Your presence can grow organically,
so don’t feel pressured to be perfect
on Day 1.

Dell first got on Twitter for customer
service and outreach.
Today, DellOutlet.com has over 1 million
followers and has generated over "
$3 million in sales.

If you’re not the patient type, you can
always bribe people to be your friends.

#squarespace: What started as a
giveaway for podcast hosts quickly
became a top topic on Twitter.

Results:
• Gave away 30 “iPhones”
• Twitter followers skyrocketed
from 815 to 32,000+
• 60% increase in site traffic
• 20% increase in free trials
Source: SocialMediaHacks.com, 8/4/09

#moonfruit: Web site builder Moonfruit
gave away 10 Macbook Pros over 7
days, with bonus iPods for creative
entries.

Results:
• Followers went from 444 to 44,113
• 600% traffic increase
• 100% increase in signups
• Campaign shortened from 10 days to 7
due to claims of “Twitter pollution”
• Mentions were 82% positive
Source: Social-Bug.com, 7/19/09

So what’s next for Twitter?
• A revenue plan
• Paid business accounts with perks
• Slower growth, if not declines
• Serve as a barometer of celeb status
• Become a standard customer service

What’s next for social media as a
whole?
• Everything goes mobile
• “Taming the stream of data”
• Become a major part of corporate
marketing, PR and customer service

For marketers, what’s the difference
between using social media and using it
right?

A clear, concise social media strategy
will give you a sense of purpose, a
unique voice and tangible goals.
Otherwise, you might end up feeling like
this:

Thanks for your time.
SlideShare.net/Griner
david.griner@luckie.com
TheSocialPath.com
Twitter.com/Griner